My Brother's Keeper
by redheadedpotter346
Summary: Tragedy strikes sending Damon back to the one place in the world he never wanted to be. Home. Raising his brother, protecting his town, and keeping a few massive secrets are just a few things on his to-do list, and he just got here.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the overly dramatic story lines, all rights go to their rightful owners. I take no credit except for this fanfiction you have currently found yourself about to embark upon. lol.**_

_**Intrduction: This is an alternate universe story, It is a story I have been toying around with in my head since around season three of The Vampire Diaries. So, a very long time.**_

_**This story is going to take place in this amazing world that Julie Plec created, however it is going to be at during a time period where they all exist together as humans. That's not to say that some of them won't still have a supernatural back ground IE (witches, doppelgänger, werewolf, etc)**_

_**In TVD, The teenagers are constantly running around trying to protect their family. Which is great. But, like Jenna said towards the end of season 2 "I am supposed to be taking care of you".**_

**_This will take place around a year or so before the start of the vampire diaries, so around 2008ish? Elena's parents will be alive. The adults will know about the supernatural world, in great depth. Third main goal will be to keep the teenagers safe and to keep their town safe. There will still be some aspects of the supernatural world that is a mystery to them, but overall be aware._**

**_As for the characters, some will still have similarities and some will not. Such as Stefan, in TVD he was seventeen but he had been on this earth for nearly 200 years. In this story he will just be a teenager, he won't have this incredibly old profound soul that separated him from other teenagers as it did in the series. And the same goes for Elena, The loss of her parents was a great part of her character, it's not something that she has experienced in the story so she might come off a little different. Caroline is not a vampire. They are simply teenagers._**

**_When Beginning of trying to write this, I went back to season one and season two before Liz knew about Damon. So, I use that for inspiration of his character. If he was raised by a vampire Hunter in the past twenty some odd years, how would he have been different? But, I did want to give Him a little extra something which you will pick up on throughout this chapter._**

**_I believe that is enough of my rambling, enjoy_**

* * *

_Walking Blind_

_Aidan Hawken_

_Don't tell me the truth  
Tell me that it didn't happen  
There's been a mistake  
There's been a misunderstanding_

_Dirty your hands  
Tearing my heart into pieces  
If this is the end  
Then we whisper the wind and release it_

* * *

The sunlight beat in through the open window warming Damon Salvatore's skin, as he laid across his overly large bed—which shared the name with the state he had lived for many years.

Damon carefully slipped out of the grasp of Becky's grasp—or Sarah, maybe it was Veronica? He didn't quite catch the girl's name the previous night over the sound of the blaring music from inside the club—but then again he wasn't' all too sure he asked, he never did.

It wasn't too long before the girl woke, and left—leaving Damon alone.

He stood alone out on the terrace of his penthouse sipping the warm liquid out of his mug, that had just a splash of dark liquor in it. Damon watched the waves crash one after the other, he could smell the musty saltwater from the Los Angeles beach below him—he could almost taste it with every drink he took.

For a minute.

A pain flushed over Damon, scolding his skin as he dropped to his knees. The sound of his mug shattering against the hard ground below echoed through his head—he bellowed out for no one to hear over the sound of the city. The agony overpowered him—washing through his veins.

But, when it was over he was stronger—he could feel it.

Worse.

He could see it.

Damon looked down as he watched his veins turn from blue to red, briefly—before they returned to normal.

"No," he said jumping to his feet and running through his home in search of his phone.

"Hello, you have reached the Salvatore's" Damon heard his mother's voice on the answering machine. "We are unable to come to the phone right now but leave you're name and number and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you".

Damon shook his head, as he quickly searched through his contacts before calling the only person he knew to call.

"Dr. Grayson Gilbert's office—how can I help you"?

"I need to speak to Dr. Gilbert—tell him it's an emergency, this is Damon Salvatore".

Not a minute passed before a deep voice came across the line. "Damon"? Grayson asked. "What's wrong"?

"Something has happened to either my mother or my brother—".

"What makes you say that"?

"I felt it," Damon told him. "I felt the same thing I did when my Aunt Lily died and my sister, I am two thousand miles away and I called the house and—".

"I will cancel the rest of my appointments for the day—I will be in touch as soon as I know something".

"Thank you, Grayson".

The line went quiet, the probability of Grayson being speechless was pretty high due to the fact that he wasn't sure that Damon knew such a word.

But, he couldn't dwell on that, not right now.

Neither of them could.

Damon ended the call and ran to his room, he tossed his suitcase on the bed and began shoving clothes in it. He didn't pay attention to what he was packing, frankly, he didn't care.

He only cared about one thing, he had to get to Mystic Falls, Virginia—he had to go home.

* * *

The many teens pushed their way through the overly crowded halls of Mystic Falls high school, in an attempt to get from one class to the next.

Stefan Salvatore was no exception as he walked hand in hand with his girlfriend, Caroline on one side, and best friend Elena on the other. But, today was no ordinary day—it was the last day of school so spirits were a little extra high.

Especially from Caroline.

"Then I thought we could go to the beach but not before we hit the mall, there is this new bikini I want and it's going to be on sale this weekend," Caroline said as the three walked. "It's going to be a big sale so we will have to get there early, there is also these cute pair of shorts I want—are you two listening"?

"Something about the mall" Elena said, shrugging.

"I'm listening," Stefan told her smiling, earning an eye roll from Elena. "So, long as I don't have to attend this little outing".

"I was hoping your mom could take us," Caroline told Stefan, pouting.

"I am sure she still wouldn't care to take you".

"Look there is Bonnie, maybe her grandmother can take us—why don't you go ask her"? Elena said pointing at her other best friend across the hall.

"Fine" Caroline said, rolling her eyes.

Stefan and Elena stood in the hallway—watching Caroline walk away.

"I hate the mall," Elena told Stefan, almost immediately once she was out of earshot.

"How do you plan to get out of it"? Stefan asked, grinning.

"I will tell her Matt and I have plans".

"That would work—if Matt and I weren't going camping for a week—we are leaving after the bonfire tonight. That's why she isn't still pestering me over it".

Elena threw her head back in aggravation.

"Why can't you two just play video games all summer like every other football player"?

"You're more than welcome to join us" Stefan teased.

"I am sure my dad will think that's a great idea—a week alone in the woods with no cell reception and my boyfriend, I'm sure he is packing my bags as we speak".

Stefan laughed, but just for a second.

Elena heard the bell ring, but as everyone else disappeared she stayed.

"Stefan"? Elena asked as she looked at her best friend. "Are you okay"?

He swallowed hard as a weakness overcame him—followed by a hardening pain.

Elena could only watch as Stefan hit his knees crying out, with his hands cupped over his ears.

Immediately, she bent down next to him but heard footsteps in the distance, when she looked up she saw Matt charging toward them.

"What's wrong"? Matt asked, panicked.

Elena shook her head. "I don't know," she said her voice trembling. "Go get the nurse, now".

Matt didn't hesitate, he turned away and ran in the opposite direction.

When Elena looked back at Stefan his screams had turned to panting, and he lowered his hands—that was still shaky.

"What the hell happened"? Elena asked him.

But, he didn't know.

"What in the hell"? Stefan asked.

Elena followed his gaze and looked down at his arms—she watched what he was watching bewildered. Stefan's veins turned from a light shade of blue to a dark red, she watched as the red traveled up his arms, around his neck, and as it consumed through his entire body—until it vanished altogether.

"What is happening to me"? Stefan asked looking up at Elena.

But, she had less of an answer than he did.

* * *

The inside of the Salvatore boarding house was devastatingly quite, so quite that the thoughts inside your head could echo through the halls. In fact, it did.

Katherine could hear the screams in her head telling her to turn back—wait for someone, but she didn't. She never listened to anyone, why would she start now? Even if it was herself?

"Mary"? Katherine called out, her voice bouncing loudly off one wall to another. "It's Katherine—are you here"?

Katherine stopped dead in her tracks as she heard a light crack when she looked down following the sound beneath her foot was glass.

Perhaps she had been so fixated on finding Mary she hadn't been looking at anything else. Behind her everything was clear, but when she looked in front of her she saw chaos.

There was a hole in the wall, picture frames had fallen—shattering on the floor, a vase had been smashed as the water ran down the hardwood and the flowers lay dying, and worst of all she saw blood.

Katherine felt her stomach drop, and despite every cell in her body telling her to turn around she didn't. Instead, she followed the trail—but when she reached the library she wished she hadn't.

"Oh, my god" Katherine said covering her mouth.

Most people would rush to someone's side but Katherine knew just by looking she was looking at a corpse, not a someone.

Mary Salvatore lay in the flood in a puddle of blood—her blood, a chunk of her neck missing.

"Oh, my god" Katherine heard and turned around to see the sheriff—Liz, standing in the doorway behind her. "Did you find her like that"?

"No," Katherine said sarcastically. "She was actually sitting over there, I did all this for fun. You know how I love a good murder mystery".

"You have a morbid sense of humor Katherine".

Katherine shrugged. "I don't like death".

"Then it's fitting that you work in a morgue".

"I am a Forensic pathologist".

"You are the town coroner" Liz stated. "You just give it a fancy name".

"Because you elected me—I went to college, I have a degree, I graduated six years earlier than I should have because I worked my ass off—I study the human body and now you have me standing five feet from where I lost my virginity to help determine if this was a crime scene"! Katherine said folding her arms and sarcastically looked around. "Well, it looks like a crime scene to me—and not the kind that is going to be on the front page of the paper".

"If you didn't want the job you shouldn't have taken it," Liz told her.

"Can you two not have this same argument"? Grayson asked as he walked into the room. "This is someone we all loved and cared about—and by the looks of it, she didn't go peacefully. Now, I have to call Damon—I know that it's been a while but you remember him don't ya sis"?

Katherine looked across the room at her older brother. "Keep it up, & you'll be the second person to die in this room today".

"Seriously, morbid sense of humor" Liz said shaking her head.

"Who said that was a joke"? Katherine asked, but then she froze as she looked down at Mary. "Gray"?

"Yeah"?

"That's a vampire bite".

"I'm well aware, that's why I'm dreading this phone call. It would be hard enough telling someone their mother is dead but—".

"No, look where we are," Katherine said.

Grayson and Liz shared glances, briefly.

But, it didn't take them long to catch up.

"A vampire was in this house," Liz said.

Grayson nodded. "Which means they were invited in".

* * *

Torture. It was torture.

Damon couldn't decide if it was the waiting or the wondering—or the god awful scenarios he had come up within his head but it was torture.

A flight from Los Angeles, California to the closest town in Virginia to Mystic Falls—that had an airport took approximately eight hours, that included the godforsaken stop in the middle of nowhere Wyoming.

Of course, the stop had one advantage, he could check his cell phone that he was forbidden to do on the airplane. Which was the first thing he did as he walked into the airport coffee shop?

"Damon"? He heard Grayson's voice on the other line almost immediately.

For a second he honestly considered hanging up, just ending the call. No news was good news, right? He didn't want to hear it, no matter what it was. But, it's not like he had a choice.

"Well"? Was all Damon managed to get out of his throat.

"Stefan is fine, he is at school—Miranda is on her way out there now. There was a call from the school nurse, Liz answered it" Grayson told him. "It sounds like the same thing happened to him—I am still at your mom's house now".

Damon Salvatore was many things, but he wasn't weak. But, at this moment he felt anything but strong.

"My mom is dead".

It wasn't a question, it was facts. It was the truth, the truth he just couldn't run away from.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry Damon—Mary was a good woman".

"Do you care to—erm, get Stefan out of school until I get there"? Damon asked. "He should hear it from me, the worst news of his life shouldn't come from a stranger or a family friend he should hear it from me".

"Of course".

Damon and Grayson weren't always the closest and they never saw eye to eye on anything, perhaps that's why even over the phone he knew when something was off. Something was different.

"What is it"? Damon asked him, there was no point in sugarcoating it. "What's wrong"?

"It's—Damon you're mom didn't die of natural causes".

After the initial shock wore off Damon looked up and glanced over his shoulder—just to make sure no one was close enough to hear him.

"What do you mean"? Damon asked him.

It suddenly occurred to him he hadn't even asked how she died, that would be the first question a good son would ask. But, he was anything but a good son.

"It looks like a—vampire attack".

"What? I thought you said you were at the house".

"I am, she is in the library".

Damon shook his head. "No," Damon said lowering his voice. "My mom would never invite a vampire into her home, she was the one who taught me not to even say come into a delivery boy. She wouldn't do that".

"I agree," Grayson said. "But, regardless she did—or I don't know".

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose, a vampire had an invitation inside his childhood home. His family home.

"I know this is a lot right now Damon, but there is one more problem, her death needs an explanation. I talked to Mayor Lockwood, we are keeping it as quiet as can for as long as we can but your mother was murdered. It could send the town into chaos or worse".

Damon sat back in his chair, he knew the routine. Unfortunately.

"She wasn't murdered," Damon told him. "She had a heart attack".

"I will see what Katherine can do and Miranda will be over here to clean up".

"No," Damon said harshly. "Don't touch anything until I get there, I might be able to get a sense of what happened".

The line went quiet, for a second Damon thought it had been disconnected but he could still hear Grayson's sharp breath.

"I—I thought you couldn't do that anymore"? Grayson asked.

"You and me both, but for my mother's sake—you better pray to whatever you believe in that I can. It's our only lead".

* * *

The ride from school back to her house was quiet for Elena, she sat in the back so that Stefan could sit in the front—in case he got sick again.

Which is what she was choosing to call it.

He said he couldn't explain it, everything hurt. But, Elena couldn't think of an instance where your entire body just began to ache and then quit at the same moment.

Being the daughter of a doctor was no help, talking to the nurse was no help, and even Google was no help.

Elena sat quietly watching as her mother drove through town—faster than her normal driving speed, and glanced out her rearview mirror one too many times. Stefan rode silently, gazing out the window as they quickly sped through town.

Elena hadn't even noticed she was home until her mom shut the car off, the three said nothing as they exited the car.

Stefan quickly made his way inside, as Elena hung back with her mother—who was attempting to rush into the house.

"Do you plan on telling me what is going on—or is the whole avoiding eye contact thing working with for you"? Elena asked her mother.

"I'm not avoiding you, I am walking in the house," Miranda told her daughter. "You should, too".

"Mom"!

Miranda had her hand on the doorknob, eager to get into the protection of her own home. But, she knew how this was going to go—so instead, she turned around to face the teenager.

"What is it, Elena"? Miranda asked.

"Stefan had some freak attack of the body and then you come to jerk us out of school like it's DEFCON five".

"Your dad thought it would be a good idea to get him out of school until he can get home and check him out," Miranda told Elena.

"Mom, his veins turned red—".

"Technically, his veins are already red it just appears—".

"I don't need some weird medical terminology right now. He doesn't even know what happened. It looked like his hands were glowing or something—I have never seen anything like it".

"You're fifteen, there is a lot that you haven't seen".

Elena crossed her arms looking at her mother.

"If you're so worried about Stefan why don't you go upstairs and sit with him until your father gets here," Miranda said. "And try to do it without an attitude".

"No promises" Elena shot over her shoulder as she walked into the house.

Miranda followed, shutting the door behind her. A few minutes passed just as Miranda finally felt her heart stop racing, and her anxiety lowered that all shot out the window at the sound of a loud knock echoing through her house.

Carefully, slowly, and taking every precaution she knew to take she made her way to the front door, which became painfully obvious she forgot to lock. But, she let out a breath of fresh air when she saw the short blonde hairdo through the window.

"Liz" Miranda said opening the door. "You scared the hell out of me".

Normally Elizabeth Forbes would have smiled, but not today.

"Sorry," Liz said stepping inside as Miranda closed the door behind them. "Grayson had a few things to do, he asked me to check up on you guys".

Miranda glanced around the staircase before pointing towards her husband's office. The two women stepped inside, closing the door—turning away any eavesdropping ears that might be listening.

"How is Stefan"? Liz asked immediately when she heard the door align in the frame.

"Fine, because he doesn't know anything. He literally knows nothing, his mom was killed and I am just supposed to act like everything is fine. He is a fifteen-year-old orphan and he doesn't even know it" Miranda ranted. "But, he isn't the one with questions—Elena won't shut up asking me what happened to him, which frankly I don't understand myself".

"You know the Salvatores come from a long line of witches dating back before Mystic Falls was ever founded—".

"I know, but how does he not know"? Miranda asked.

"I am sure Mary had her reasons, just like you have your reasons that you haven't told your kids about the existence of vampires and witches and anything else supernatural," Liz told her. "But, whatever the reasons are right now he is safe, he and Elena are upstairs and as long as they are in the house no vampire can enter".

"What about Jeremy? Or Caroline—shouldn't we pull them out of school"? Miranda asked. "There is a vampire running loose in Mystic Falls—".

"They won't attack in the middle of the day".

"They did with Mary".

"Mary who was alone, her house surrounded by nothing but trees and empty roads for miles" Liz reminded her.

"But, that does raise the question—how did a vampire attack in the middle of the day"? Miranda asked.

Liz paused, with all the chaos from the day she couldn't believe that thought hadn't occurred to her until now.

"I thought that vampires couldn't walk in the daylight".

Liz nodded. "They aren't supposed to be able to".

"Then how did it"?

And for that, neither had an answer.

* * *

It had been a long day, but it was far from over yet for Damon. He wasn't sure how long he had stood on the outside of the door that led into his family home, for some time he was sure by the sight of the sun setting behind the trees, which only meant things were about to get a lot worse.

So, Damon took a deep breath and pushed open the door, and quickly walked inside. He wasn't too surprised to see Grayson and Katherine waiting for his arrival—standing in front of the fireplace, which he vaguely remembered being Katherine's favorite part of the entire house.

"I see you found your way into my father's cellar," Damon told Katherine immediately. "And you found the good bourbon—so are you roasting to my mother's life or drowning your sorrows in the bottom of that bottle".

"If you're not careful you'll find yourself on the wrong side of this bottle," Katherine told him.

"Good to see after all these years you two didn't miss a beat," Grayson said folding his arms. "Let's go".

Damon could easily find his way around the large house, with his eyes closed but he found himself following the Gilbert siblings—until there was nowhere to run.

There she was.

His mom.

Mary.

Seeing really was believing, up until this moment it hurt because the words had been spoken but he could no longer push it to the back of his mind. He could no longer run from the truth or the pain.

Damon dropped to his knees next to his mother, and no matter how hard he tried to fight it he still felt a tear fall down his cheek.

"Doing what little I can do here, I can tell you that she didn't suffer much" Katherine told him, as she stood behind her brother.

"Oh, I must have been mistaken when I saw the large piece of skin missing from her neck," Damon said—harshly, though he couldn't take his eyes off of his mother.

"It was done Post-mortem," Katherine told him, as nicely as she could take no offense to his outburst.

Damon stood up, and for the first time, he looked at Katherine directly. "What else can you tell me"?

"She—her neck was broken halfway through the hallway," Katherine said. "Probably so she wouldn't fight them or—they fell over the landing as you can see the collateral everywhere. But, I think they were looking for something".

"What makes you say that"? Damon asked.

"This was like my second home, Damon," Katherine said. "You're mother it—was a very organized person. But, look at the bookshelves—her books were always color-coded and in alphabetical order now they are just everywhere like they tried to clean up their mess".

Curious.

Damon observed the room, he walked around to find that she was right. Each book had a certain spot that he didn't realize until now had been burned into his brain, the bookshelves were chaotic.

But, it was the drops of blood leading from his mother's body to the bookshelf that was the giveaway, that was the reason he couldn't pretend that she didn't die of circumstance but of who she is.

Damon rushed back over to his mother, knelt down in the floor next to her, and held her small cold hand between his two large ones. "Ostendite mihi revelare verum veritate" he spoke, and nothing happened.

He repeated the spell once more, twice more, and continued far amount of times than he could count—but he didn't try. He had only one focus, one task at hand.

For a second he finally thought it was working, the three in the room felt a large gush of air blow past them—the lights began to flicker until they blew all together. But, Damon didn't stop—even as he stood in the darkroom and the wind blew around so strong they each had problems holding their own balance.

But, it stopped when a pulse of electricity flowed through Damon's veins sending him flying across the room. He hit against one of the walls—hard and hit the ground even harder.

"Well—looks like I didn't get here a minute too soon" they all heard.

Damon didn't need to look up to recognize the voice of his mother's best friend, he knew even with no light to see that Sheila Bennett stood in the doorway.

* * *

"You can't be serious" Caroline complained to her mother as they made the walkway to the Gilbert house. "You said I could go this morning, everyone is going to be there".

"Not everyone," Liz said as she lightly knocked on the door. "Stefan won't, Elena won't—and I don't think Matt is either—he came to check on Stefan. Your boyfriend, remember"?

"Mom"!

"Caroline, there will be lots of parties for you to go to—you're missing one. Stop being overly dramatic".

Caroline had a speech prepared, or a begging ceremony if you will—but she was cut off by the door opening revealing Miranda on the other side.

"Hey, Caroline. The rest of them are upstairs in Elena's room, Matt brought a PlayStation or Nintendo—I can't keep up with what the hot new thing is" Miranda said. "Pizza will be here in thirty minutes or less, at least that's what the flyers say—".

"Ahhh," Caroline said pushing past Miranda and running up the steps. "Thanks for ruining my life" she shot over her shoulder at her mother as she disappeared to the next floor.

"You're welcome" Liz yelled back with a smile as she stepped in shutting the door behind her.

"Wow," Miranda said as the two women walked into the kitchen.

"I talked to Mayor Lockwood, he said Tyler is currently pouting in his room. How did Elena take it"? Liz asked as she sat at the counter, watching Miranda pull out a bottle of wine.

"A lot better than Caroline," Miranda said as she poured them each a glass.

"It's for their own good" Liz said. "The last thing they need to be doing is out at a party in the middle of the woods when there is a—" she glanced over her shoulder before whispering the word"vampire" to Miranda "out lurking around".

Before Miranda had the chance to respond the two both looked up at the sound of the door opening, in hopes that it was Grayson or Damon or anyone that might have answers, of any kind they walked over to the edge of the hallway.

"Elena told me to let myself in," Bonnie said as she shut the door behind her. "My grams had her undergrad drop me off, I'm not sure where she is. He picked me up and brought me straight here".

"They are all upstairs," Miranda told her smiling.

Bonnie quickly made her way up the stairs and to her best friend's bedroom. Matt and Stefan sat in the floor against the foot of Elena's bed with controllers to the PlayStation in their hand, the noise of the racing cars echoing through the room as Bonnie shut the door tightly before crashing on the bed where Elena and Caroline sat—Elena reading a book, and Caroline flipping through an old magazine that was laying around.

"Does anyone know what's going on"? Bonnie asked. "I spent weeks convincing my grams to let me go to the party—I was getting ready and that college guy she works with showed up and brought me here".

"I have no idea," Elena told her.

"Beats the hell out of me," Caroline said tossing the magazine to the side crossing her arms. "I spent a lot of money on this outfit just to sit around at the Gilbert's all night".

Stefan paused the game before turning around to look at his girlfriend. "You"? He asked.

"Fine, Stefan spent a lot of money on this outfit," Caroline said rolling her eyes.

The other three each giggled, briefly.

"What's the big deal"? Matt asked. "It's just a party—".

"Just a party"? Caroline asked. "The end of the year bonfires are legendary—and it was our first party. Our parents wouldn't let us go to any parties all year".

"Probably because we aren't even sixteen yet"? Bonnie suggested, rolling her eyes.

"I'm shocked my mom was going to let me go in the first place," Stefan said shrugging.

"Same" Elena agreed. "If it wasn't for my Aunt's I don't think either of my parents would have caved".

"My mom is MIA—we could throw a party and I don't think she would ever even notice it".

"Screw this" Caroline said standing up folding her arms. "They told us we could go, so even if they can't keep their end of the deal let's keep ours. It's our first ever party—we are the only freshman for a few more hours".

"Please, tell me she isn't suggesting what I think she is suggesting"? Bonnie asked looking at Elena.

"I am" Caroline answered. "Let's go to the party".

"My mom will go ballistic" Stefan told his girlfriend. "If she comes to pick me up and I'm not here and she told the Gilbert's that I wasn't allowed to go to the party and I go anyways—I will be grounded".

"She can't ground you forever—I'm going. So, whoever is going with me better decide now. Mrs. Gilbert will be up here any minute when the pizza is delivered".

* * *

Damon navigated his way around the large electrical box in front of him—with what little light was coming out of the end of the flashlight Grayson was holding behind him. After testing one too many switches the lights came back on throughout the house, making the flashlight pointless.

"Well, that's one problem down," Damon said turning around to find Sheila standing in the doorway. "And another to go".

"Damon" Sheila began.

But, he didn't pause—instead, he pushed past her and began to make his way up the stairs as fast as humanly possible.

Not that it mattered.

He could hear the sound of her heels hitting the hardwood beneath her feet, which meant two things. One she wore heels, Damon wasn't sure why that entered his mind or how he had never noticed the shoes she wore and two she was staying close.

"I really don't have time for this" Damon shot over his shoulder as he walked through the hall, knowing she was close enough to hear him.

"Then you should probably make time—I know you have always had a problem when admitting when you need help so now is maybe a good time to start" Sheila called after him, still hot on his trail.

"And how exactly are you going to help me"?

Damon entered the room where his mother still lay, and even though he didn't verbally thank Katherine he was grateful that in his absence she had taken it upon herself to cover Mary with a sheet. It was a floral sheet from one of the many guest rooms but still—despite it, all Damon didn't want to continue having the image of his mother burned in his brain.

"Just because we don't practice the same magic doesn't mean I can't help, Damon," Sheila said walking over to him and standing directly in front of him—arms crossed, eyes narrowed—reminding him all too much of his mother. "Mary and I practiced together for years—".

"Then, by all means, have at it," Damon said gesturing towards his mother.

"I just said we don't practice the same magic—I don't have the abilities you have Damon, nor the strength. Unlike your kind I have limitations—".

"My kind"? Damon smirked. "That was heartfelt, tell me do you really want to help or just watch me fail"?

"Mary was one of my nearest and dearest friends, she couldn't help what she was born into no more than she could help what she created".

Katherine winced at the woman's words.

'What she created'

Sheila might as well have said what she carried, what she birthed—who she raised. They weren't a what, they were a who.

Her boys.

Stefan and Damon.

Mary's sons. Her beautiful boys. Or at least that's the way she saw them, the rest of the Wiccan community wasn't as accepting as she had been. But, she had been their mother.

"And there it is" Damon yelled pointing his finger at the woman. "That is exactly why I don't need or want your help, you're free to leave".

"I meant—".

"I know what you meant, you were the very one who suggested mom bind part of who I am," Damon told her. "Stefan and I can't be the only werewolf, witches in existence so why is it the spirits or the ancestors or wherever it is that you answer to hate what I am so badly that you would take part in who I am"?

"If you love who you are so much—then why are you wearing this"? Sheila asked lifting his hand, revealing the moonlight amulet he wore on his middle finger. "They call it a curse for a reason Damon—if it weren't your mom wouldn't have made this for you. She tore apart thousands of grimoires to save you from the pain and agony of being a slave to the full moon every month. It's the same reason she made Stefan his bracelet—it suppresses his anger. She has done everything in her power to keep him from triggering his curse and ending up—".

"Like me"? Damon asked. "A murder? That's what you were going to say, isn't it? Or what you wanted to say? That's how you see me, isn't it? A cold-blooded killer—I was sixteen! It's not something that I asked for"!

"That's enough" Grayson demanded as he walked into the room.

Funny.

Damon has thought he had been there the whole time, he deducted points from himself from not paying attention.

"We have bigger problems," Grayson said. "The kids snuck out".

"What"? Everyone asked looking at him.

"We have a vampire loose in the town, it's night, and we have god knows how many teenagers partying like it's 1999 in the middle of the woods," Grayson said. "And one of them is my daughter, your brother, your granddaughter—so if it's ever a time to let bygones be bygones now would be it".

Sheila and Damon both looked at one another, even under the circumstances it was easier said than done. Grayson knew that. The dislike for one another ran deep and had a long history that no one had time for at this moment.

"I am nowhere close to tapping back into my power—" Damon began.

"I have an idea" Katherine spoke up for the first time.

Everyone looked across the room at Katherine who stood looking out the window, and just by a glance, Damon knew what she was cooking up in her head.

"Tonight is going to be a full moon, and we need a vampire hunter on steroids," Katherine said turning around to face the group in the room. "Luckily, we have one—if you take that ring off".

"Are you kidding"? Damon asked. "You never did have a great sense of humor".

"After you left your mom and I spent years studying about werewolves, there is a bunch of folklore mixed with fiction and tales passed down but one thing that every tale has in common is a werewolf bite is lethal to a vampire," Katherine said walking over towards Damon. "Legend has it that when you turn you will be drawn to their scent".

"Legend. Fiction. Folklore. Those are great words to convince me to do this" Damon said.

"I am agreeing with him," Grayson told his sister. "We already have a vampire loose and now you want to add a wolf"?

"Whose to say I can even control where I go or who I hurt"? Damon asked. "I changed six times in my life until mom made me this ring, and when I did I was chained up—".

"What other choice do we have right now"? Katherine asked them. "There is a vampire out there with an all you can eat high school buffet—so if anyone else has any other ideas I would say this is our best one".

* * *

_Don't give me your word  
Give me something to hold on to  
I don't want to fight  
I don't want no big decision  
I'm not afraid  
Of tearing your heart into pieces  
If there's a world of doubt  
Then we're out in the farthest of reaches_

_We don't have to know  
We don't have it all worked out  
We can just keep walking blind_

* * *

_**Authors Note: I hope you enjoyed that first chapter, by the end of the chapter I'm sure he was able to tell that the Salvatore Brothers come from a line of Werewolves and a line witches. They come from a very distinct line of witches, that will slowly start to be revealed throughout the story.  
**_

**_I was watching a recent interview with Ian, and he mentioned about the Defan love story, and that's why I went to such great lengths to not have this be a love triangle story. I was, and always will be a Delena fan but I don't want that to be the center of the story. That's why I put Stefan with Caroline and made a rather significant age gap between Damon and Elena. This story will have love stories, but it will relate more to the originals in the "family above all" sense. It will show the great lengths that Damon will go to protect his little brother, or anyone he cares about._**

**_When I started writing this I knew I wanted Katherine to be part of it, She will have some similarities to the original character and some that was separate her. But, there will be an explanation as to why to doppelgängers exist around the same time._**

_**I didn't want to just explain everything in the first chapter, but I do hope you enjoy this. Leave a review, I will update as soon as I can**_


	2. Chapter 2

Katherine and her ideas—her damn, stupid, uncalled for ideas.

As Damon made his way through his former home a thousand different thoughts ran through his mind, unfortunately, none of those devised a plan.

Any plan would do, except this.

But, it was the only one they had—oh, now he was just thinking in circles which were doing nothing but pissing himself off. Which he could easily assume the last thing they needed right now was an overly angry werewolf.

Damon felt many things about the scheme that Katherine had cooked up in a manner of five seconds, none of them were settling. He could feel the fear and the nerves coursing through his veins as if there were going to take on a life of their own.

Not that he would ever admit that out loud, especially in front of Katherine. If they all survived this—she would never let him live it down.

Damon opened the front door to the house, stepping outside. The black sky was lit by one thing, the moon. The very thing that he couldn't take his eyes off or as he walked further from the house.

It was the first time in years he noticed it, it hung in the sky—alone, he couldn't remember a time since he was young that he even paid attention to the phase of the moon.

"Are we too late"? Grayson asked as he and Katherine followed Damon outside.

"No," Damon told him, though he regretted it almost immediately. "Not yet".

"I thought it took hours"? Grayson asked.

"The first time it does," Damon told him. "It took me four—".

"Five, almost six" Katherine interrupted him.

Damon looked back at Katherine who was looking up in the sky as he just was, he sometimes forgot that he wasn't alone that night. It was hard to remember—all he could recall was the pain, the agony of every bone of his body breaking—his body twisting in ways that no human would survive but then again he wasn't human.

He definitely wasn't looking forward to it again.

"Last chance" Damon said turning around. "Does anyone have any other plans"?

"Is this your way of attempting to get out of this"? Katherine asked crossing her arms.

"Getting out of this"? Damon repeated. "You think that's what this is about—Katherine any time I have turned I have been chained up in a cellar or a basement or whatever, I don't know if I will have any control or not—I'm worried about what will happen if I don't".

"If there is a vampire in town you should feel this pull towards them," Katherine said.

"If and should, that gives me all the hope in the world," Damon said sarcastically.

"Damon, it's instincts—it's predatorial, vampires and werewolves have been known enemies since the beginning of time".

"Next are you going to tell me that vampires sparkle in the sun"? Damon asked her. "I need a little bit more than the rules of twilight right now"!

"I'm not excited about this either but Katherine is right this is our only chance," Grayson said.

"I would feel a lot more comfortable if I knew I had some sort of control over my actions," Damon told him. "Just go—find Stefan, get him to safety—and Grayson if you see me and I come at any of you—don't hesitate to shoot me".

"What"? Katherine yelled.

"If I hurt Stefan I would never be able to forgive myself" Damon cut her off. "Just go. You and Liz get the kids to safety—if your sister is right and there is a vampire then we're about to have a blood bath".

Grayson didn't waste another second, he jumped in his car and sped off down the road until he was out of sight.

"If I trust you with this can you promise not to sink it to the bottom of the Quarry"? Damon asked walking over to Katherine, twisting the moon ring around his finger.

"No promises".

Damon smirked, but he slowly and cautiously removed the ring as though it was breakable before handing it to the woman he once trusted with his life.

"Now what"? Katherine asked.

"Now we wait," he told her. "And we pray to God that you're right—and if you're not we pray even harder".

* * *

It was very rare that Mystic Grill was empty, especially on a Friday night—Grayson assumed that was Liz's doing. Even with the high schoolers roaming the woods, it would be packed with locals and the town drunks.

The booths were vacant, no one was managing the bar, even the pool table was unoccupied.

"Good. You're here" Grayson heard and looked up to see Liz walking in from the back of the restaurant.

"What took you so damn long"? Richard Lockwood asked joining Liz.

The mayor of Mystic Falls, or as Grayson refers to him the "ass" of the town. He wasn't even entirely sure how he won the election, he was sure there was cheating of some kind.

"I was with Damon and Katherine, Sheila went to sit with Miranda," Grayson told them. "She is going to try to do a locator spell, so we can at least get a definite location on the kids".

"At least someone is doing something," Richard told Grayson. "We can't exactly leave it up to you to find our kids".

"I thought Tyler was at home"?

"He snuck out, too" Liz informed Grayson.

"Really"? Grayson asked, half grinning even given the circumstances. "I would have thought you would be a better father than that, especially after that speech you gave everyone on the tips to prevent your kids from sneaking out—the great measures that you and Carol go to know where your child is at all times".

"Listen here Grayson—".

"We don't have time for you two to get into this right now," Liz told them. "We actually need to get out there and find our kids".

"When I find Tyler I'm going to—" Richard began.

"You're going to what"? Grayson cut him off, again. "Lay into him as your old man did you, why don't you evolve a little more than beating your kid"?

"At least I show my son a little discipline, show him authority" Richard yelled at Grayson. "Your kids don't seem to listen to anything you say".

"Last I checked Tyler snuck out just the same" Grayson shot back. "So, maybe your not so fit to be handing out the bad father of the year awards".

"Enough" Liz yelled. "This weird romance thing you two have going is going to have to be put on pause until we find our kids—safely".

Grayson rotated his glare from Richard to Liz, just because she once again insinuated that the two men "argued like an old married couple" as she had put it many times before.

"I told everyone it was a gas leak," Liz told them as she adjusted the belt around her waist that held her gums safely. "Once the grill cleared out mostly everyone went home, the town has cleared out".

Grayson lifted the duffel bag and dumped it onto a large table—spilling out the contents inside. Most of which was made of wood, for a precise reason.

"Nice" Richard said lifting up a crossbow examining its features.

Grayson jerked it out of his hands, instantly. "Adults only," he told Richard with a rather enjoyable smirk. "Here" he said handing Liz a gun. "It shoots wooden bullets".

Liz and Grayson each quickly dug into the large pile of handcrafted stakes and the many weapons.

"And what exactly am I supposed to carry"? Richard asked crossing his arms at Grayson.

"Here, you can carry the flashlight," Grayson told him.

Liz could easily tell Richard had half a mind to clock Grayson over the head with the flashlight, and she just didn't have the time to split them up right now.

"Here," Liz said handing Richard a weapon, she didn't pay attention to what one just that he had it.

"Sheila just sent me the coordinates," Grayson said as he took off towards the door. "Let's go get our kids".

* * *

"You're going to burn a hole in the ground," Katherine said.

Damon didn't stop the pacing he had been doing for what felt like hours, though in reality, it had only been thirty minutes. Although in that half-hour Katherine had yet to move, she stood with her back against the large SUV he assumed belonged to her— consistently twirling his moonlight ring around her pinky finger.

Which he was determined not to let bother him.

"I'm good at many things Katherine—waiting isn't exactly one of them," Damon said.

He continued to walk back and forth, unable to ignore the ring slowly circling around her finger.

"What exactly are you good at to begin with"? Katherine asked.

Round and round the ring went.

"Lots of things," Damon said trying to swallow the agitation inside of him. "Sex. I'm really good at sex, or did you forget"?

"If I forgot then you weren't that good at it, to begin with" she teased.

Damon attempted to look ahead of him, or keep his eyes at the ground—but he could still see the ring out of the corner of his eye. It bounced around her pinky slower and slower, or maybe he just saw it that way. He couldn't tell.

"Would you stop"? Damon asked stopping dead in his tracks, which was a horrible choice of words at the moment. "You're going to end up losing the damn thing".

Katherine, taken aback by his sudden outburst stopped swirling the ring he had previously worn on his finger. She reached around her neck, unclasping the necklace, slid it onto the chain, and hooked the necklace back around her neck. "There" she said. "It's safe"

Most people would say thank you or show some form of gratitude but she got nothing more than a "good" from Damon Salvatore.

"You're making it easier and easier to remember why we didn't work out," Katherine told him folding her eyes. "You're still a dick".

"Katherine, I'm in the one place I never thought I would be again—the one place I hate most in the world. My mom is dead—she is lying inside dead, my brother is out in the middle of the woods with a vampire on the loose—the only family I have left by the way, and now I have to break every single bone in my body just to save him and I don't even know if it's going to work. I might just be doing him more harm than good right now, and if we all live through this I have to tell him our mom is dead—of a heart attack which isn't the truth, I have to lie to him about how our mother died so sue me if I'm having a bad day".

Katherine didn't respond, at first. Instead, she stood back and watched Damon—in a shape she had never seen him in. She wasn't sure if it was his impending transition, the fear for his little brother's life, or the death of his mother that set him over the edge—perhaps it was all of it.

Damon normally did well under stress, he made his smart ass remarks and moved on.

Under any circumstances.

But, not today. Today was different.

"You're right," Katherine said. "I'm sorry".

"You're right? I'm sorry"? Damon repeated with a smirk. "How did those words taste coming out of your mouth"?

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Like vinegar," she told him. "Damon"?

"Hmm"?

"What is it"? She asked him.

Damon didn't stop pacing but he did look up over at her "what are you talking about"? He asked.

"I have watched you lose a parent before," Katherine told him. "I just have never seen you like this before".

"Please don't compare my amazing mother to my ass of a father," Damon said. "Two different relationships".

"Oh, you just seemed like something was bothering you," Katherine said, before having the ultimate 'duh' moment in her head. "I meant besides all this, you just act like your head is somewhere else".

No matter how much time they spent apart she could still read him like a book—he hated that.

"You're not wrong," Damon told her, stopping for the first time, turning to look at her. "Out of everyone in Mystic Falls they come after my mother who just happens to be a witch from the most powerful bloodline and—AHHH".

Katherine nearly jumped out of her skin as she watched Damon hit his knees, his ankle twisted in a way that was in-human. But, soon enough he wouldn't be.

"Okay," Katherine said, rushing over to him. "Just breathe, you have to let it in—don't fight it".

"Damn it" Damon cursed, followed by the horrid sound of a loud crack—through the pain that coursed through his veins made it impossible to determine which bone had broke. "You have to go inside, now".

"I'm not leaving you here".

"AHHH" Damon yelled, his scream echoing through the woods. "Go inside—now".

"No".

"You're so damn stubborn".

"Pot meet kettle".

Katherine reached out and took hold of his hand, grasping it in hers. She knew she knew there was no running from the pain for him, so at the very least he wouldn't go through it alone.

Instead, she held his hand—as long as she could.

Damon's body twisted and cracked, but she stayed—until he looked at her, his eyes glowing a bright yellow.

Katherine jumped to her feet, but instead of running into his house, or his mother's house—whoever's damn house it was, she ran. Away. She couldn't let him make it inside with Mary, so she had to lead him away. So, she did.

If the cellar was strong enough to keep him in, it should be strong enough to keep him out—and it was far enough away that he might get distracted from going in his house.

And it worked, Katherine got the door locked, just in time.

She could feel her heart racing as the sound of the beast on the other side tried to come through, and for a second she worried—stepping as far back as she could. But, the noise quit—and quietly she listened as he disappeared.

* * *

"Okay—just stay right there" Liz heard Grayson say into the speaker of his phone. "I'm aware—go inside and lock the door—Katherine for the love of God could you just do one thing I ask you to do—fine, bye".

A moment of silence passed as the three continued to walk, but after a short minute Grayson finally spoke "Damon turned" he said. "So, keep your eyes open".

"So, we have a vampire and a werewolf lose"? Richard asked. "And this was your best idea—to let a beast roam through the woods"?

"Stop it," Liz said.

"I'm serious, Liz," Richard said. "There are a bunch of kids out here—all of ours included, we already have one monster on the loose and he just let another one run free".

"If there is a vampire loose Damon will be drawn to it," Liz told him.

"You hope, but how would you feel if that beast tears apart a kid".

"You know" Grayson cut Richard off, almost nonchalantly, almost. "Did you know that the werewolf gene is hereditary, it's passed down from generation to generation"?

"What's your point"? Richard asked hastily. "That if Damon reproduces we will have a whole pack of them running around"?

"No, you have to kill someone for it to activate the gene—but I suspect you already knew that".

"Excuse me"? Richard asked his voice low—just above a growl.

"The Salvatores wasn't known for being werewolf's until Giuseppe—Damon and Stefan's father until his grandfather married a woman I think her name was Lucille," Grayson said, with a bit of too much arrogance in his voice. "Her maiden name—was Lockwood, so like I said—I suspect you already knew that".

Liz watched, in half shock—and half amusement, as Grayson walked away, leaving Richard speechless for the first time since he learned how to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'm back. **_

_**It's been a while, hope everyone is staying safe! **_

_**This chapter is a bit Damon short, so it's not my favorite, but well needed! **_

* * *

Katherine ran—fast, or as fast as any woman running through the woods could in a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos, effectively adding in her head how much Damon Salvatore was currently owing her for ruining her favorite pair of shoes. It wasn't until she reached the large building on the edge of the property that she looked back at the Salvatore boarding house that sat where it always had, with the moon hanging high in the sky, lightening the woodland area around her.

She didn't reach for the door immediately, she looked around—eyes wide, ears open—for anything, and everything.

Katherine couldn't tell which was running through her veins more, the adrenaline or her fear.

The silence rang deeply in her ears, as she looked around, observing what the light from the moon allowed her, but she saw nothing—until she did.

The scream Katherine let out echoed through the woods, bouncing off one tree to another, and she fell to her knees, backing against the door, wrapping her hand tightly around the knob waiting for the moment she could open it, but for now, she could hear her heart pounding as she looked into eyes, his eyes. She knew them anywhere, human or animal.

"Da—Damon," Katherine said, her voice shaky as the werewolf in front of her walked closer, and closer. "It's me—it's—it's Katherine".

She spoke as though she actually believed he had control over his own body or the beast's body that had taken over when she knew the truth. She knew that if he had any control he would have chosen any other route, except this one.

But, here they were, face to face, his eyes piercing through the terrified woman in front of him.

"Stefan" Katherine managed to choke out as she felt the fur now part of him against her face. "You have to find Stefan—he could be in danger, they all could".

Katherine glanced up, she knew the door she was against was strong, if he couldn't get out of it he couldn't get in it, the only problem was one wrong move—and she was werewolf chow.

And there was no way she paid four hundred dollars for these pants to end up in the pit of a werewolf.

"Stefan needs you, your brother needs you," Katherine said, narrowing her eyes at him. "He is the only family you got left—and you're the only family he has left—and he doesn't even know that".

Katherine wasn't sure if it was what she said, or if Damon heard something, but whatever the reason was his entire demeanor changed. She watched as he stepped back and turned, sniffing—before running off into the night.

She didn't waste time, and she hated herself for doing so the first time, she jumped up and ran inside the building—bolting it locked before moving another muscle.

Katherine turned around looking into the dark, before flipping the nearest switch—watching as row after row of lights illuminated the inside. She looked at the cars, the many cars, before hunting down the keys to the first off-road vehicle she found.

But, before jumping in Katherine found her way to the large closet, tossing the neatly crafted weapons into the back—the guns, the wooden bullets, the hand grenades, and anything else she could grab in a matter of seconds before jumping inside and starting the Engine.

Katherine took one last deep breath before raising the garage door and driving out, shutting it behind her, as she drove through the woods, popping up out of her seat with every curve and every bump, and disappeared into the night.

* * *

"What is it"?

When Grayson didn't answer Liz's question, she turned around to see him holding his flashlight up, squinting his eyes through the darkened path. She walked over, shining her own flashlight in the same direction, not exactly sure what she was looking for.

"I thought I heard something," Grayson said, answering her question just a few minutes too late.

The two felt a breeze brush past them quickly, and if they didn't know better they would have assumed it was just the night wind, but they did know better. The two jumped in the direction the breeze went, no sooner than they heard a scream.

Liz drew her gun, not paying attention if she pulled out the that fired lead or wooden bullets, but when she saw Richard she froze—she couldn't see much of the shadow behind him, only that there was one—and whoever it was had him a death grasp.

"Well, well—what do we have here"? They heard, a male voice, taunting.

"Let him go" Grayson ordered waving his flashlight around, in an attempt to get a better look of the vampire holding Richard captive.

"Or what"?

Grayson couldn't see the man in the night, but he could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're thinking because you got the mayor's neck in your hand I won't shoot you with one of these wooden bullets"? Grayson asked taking the gun out of Liz's hand.

"That's what I'm thinking" Richard shot back, suddenly more scared for his life than he was just moments before.

"The mayor took an oath to protect his town—and that includes dying if he has to," Grayson said, cocking the gun preparing to fire.

"I knew you were going to be the death of me, Gilbert" Richard said. "I'm a town full of vampires and werewolves and everything else supernatural, I'm going to end up dying at the hands of a mentally unstable vampire hunting doc—son of a bitch"!

Liz jumped at the sound of the gun firing and Richard screaming, when she looked up the mayor hadn't been the only one shot. The vampire fell back against the tree, holding pressure against his stomach, close to the same spot Richard was—as he fell to the ground.

Grayson cocked the gun, once more, prepared to fire—but the vampire disappeared faster than lightening.

Richard looked up, in pain, but still in a state of shock. "You shot me," he said groaning. "The son of a bitch shot me," he said looking at Liz, as though she had missed the whole scene.

"Relax," Grayson said lowering the gun. "I didn't hit any major arteries, if I did you would barely be coherent right now".

"You. Shot. Me"!

"I had to—okay," Grayson told him. "The bullet passed straight through you but didn't pass through the vampire, he is wounded".

"Which means he is out for blood" Liz pointed out.

"It won't matter, he can't heal until he gets that bullet out," Grayson said. "I slowed him down, now come on".

"You two are just going to leave me here"? Richard asked.

"Well, taking you could slow us down" Grayson pointed out fishing out a weapon out of the bag he was carrying. "Here—we'll be back".

Liz looked between the two and opted to follow closely behind Grayson, and as the two made their way out of Richard's sight she said: "I can't believe you shot him".

"Relax, he'll be fine," Grayson said.

"No, I always thought if anyone was going to shoot him—it would be me".

Grayson chuckled for a second.

"We can't just leave him though," Liz said. "He is bleeding, we don't know how many vampires are out there, they could swarm to him like bee's to honey".

"I doubt he would be that good".

"Grayson".

"Relax, Katherine is going to pick him up".

"I thought you told her to stay at the boarding house".

Grayson scoffed. "You act shocked that she can't follow simple orders for her own safety, she left a few minutes ago, she should be passing through any minute, and she has wheels".

Liz had known Grayson, and the Gilbert clan for some time, so she wasn't surprised, but she felt like she should be in this situation.

The two walked through the woods in silence, for the most part, that was until Grayson came to an abrupt halt, holding his hand out to stop Liz from going any further.

"What"? She asked. "The vampire"?

"No," he said, softly. "Rihanna".

"Ri—what anna"?

Liz looked up and watched as Grayson tapped his ear, so instead of talking she listened, and she heard the loud echo of music—it was distant, but it was there.

"Quick, the kids," Liz said walking in the direction of the music. "If we can hear it, so can whenever the hell that was".

"You couldn't be more right" the two heard.

It was the same male voice the two heard earlier, but no matter how many times, or how many places Liz and Grayson shined their flashlights, they didn't see him—or anybody.

"Why don't you come out"? Grayson asked. "Tell us who you are—what you want"?

The vampire scoffed. "Nice try, Doc," he said. "But, after that little trick you pulled—I'm wounded, hurt".

"I can take care of that wound for you".

"No need," he said. "I was a doctor myself—back when, of course, that was before all that fancy schooling came around. I took care of it—but now, I'm awfully hungry".

"Then come down here, have a snack," Grayson said laying his gun down.

The vampire hackled. "A willing dinner—that takes the fun right out of it—plus, there are only two of you—from what I can smell, there is at least a hundred north".

"Did you kill her"? Grayson blurted out. "Mary—did you kill her"?

Liz looked at Grayson, and it was obvious to her why he was doing—anything to keep the vampire away from the bonfire.

Grayson heard a loud roar, and felt the vibration beneath his feet, looking up he saw the vampire before him, and this time he stepped into the light—a smile across his face.

Before Grayson had time to react, he found himself pinned against a tree, his feet lifted off the ground, and the vampire's hand wrapped tightly around his neck.

"You're either really brave—or really stupid," the vampire said, snatching the gun with wooden bullets out of Grayson's hand. "You got lucky, you got the upper hand on me once—it won't happen again".

Liz was fast—she just wasn't faster than a vampire, one second she was charging towards him, and the next she was flying through the air until her body came in contact with what she could only assume was a tree, before smacking hard against the ground.

The vampire still had Grayson's throat in his hand when he turned around to face him—a smile on his face, as he prepared to take the doctor's life, although he never got the chance.

Grayson wasn't entirely sure what happened but he felt the release around his throat, as all the oxygen came flowing back through his lungs but he didn't get to enjoy it. He felt his body slam against nearby well, and tumble off to the side.

When he looked up he saw a werewolf, Damon he presumed, and a vampire—he didn't have to look twice to guess who was winning that particular fight. He rushed off to Liz, who still lay across the hard ground, and helped her up.

"Which one's Damon"?

Grayson looked at her, oddly, before looking up and wondering the same question himself.

A vampire lay on the ground—though Grayson couldn't tell if he was dead or not, and on one side was a werewolf and on the other side was another, one was much bigger and scarier.

"I don't know—I don't know" Grayson answered her, his voice low, trying to remain undetected from either one of them.

For a second Grayson thought they heard him, but neither looked at him, instead, they looked off into the woods—before both took off running.

Grayson saw headlights coming from the opposite direction that the wolves had run, and knew it was his sister. The off-road vehicle climbed the hill and came to a quick stop in front of them, he helped Liz into the large automobile.

"Grayson, get in here" he heard as he turned on his heel, Katherine no doubt. "Grayson"!

The doctor approached the vampire, that lay weak—but alive.

"Why did you kill Mary"? Grayson asked as he dug into his bag, ignoring his sister's screams.

The vampire choked, blood oozing out the many wounds the werewolf had left on him. "I didn't".

"If you want me to help you—I suggest you tell me the truth".

The vampire looked at Grayson and the bag of medical supplies he had. "I swear—I didn't," he said. "I wasn't sent after her".

"Sent"? He asked. "Someone sent you here"?

The vampire coughed, blood falling out of his mouth as he did. He could only nod, but that was answer enough.

"For what"?

"The doppelgänger," he said. "How are you going to help me"?

Grayson took a syringe, sticking it into the vampire's arm and pulling his blood out of his body. He repeated the action more than once.

"What—what are you doing"?

"Getting your blood—I have a few friends who are wounded, and they could use a quick heal," he said. "I'm just hoping the werewolf venom hasn't tainted it enough that it won't help".

"How is that going to help me"?

"Well, it won't," Grayson said. "As far as I know, there is no cure for a werewolf bite—and the more bites you have the worse it is, I'm shocked you're even alive".

"You said you were going to help me".

"I am".

The vampire was weak, but he was strong enough to stop the wooden steak coming at his chest. "Haven't you ever wondered why your sister and your daughter look so much alike—just born a decade or so apart"?

Well, that caught Grayson's attention.

"You have to help me—and I'll help you".

"I just said there is no cure—".

"If I live—I'll tell you everything".

Grayson looked over his shoulder at his sister, who looked completely irritated and impatient. "I have always wanted to know," he said. "But—you just told me everything, there is a reason—what else do I need you for"?

This time the vampire didn't catch the wooden stake, and Grayson watched as he took his last breath, turning to stone, before grabbing his things and making his way back to the vehicle. He jumped in and handed two syringes to Liz.

"One for you and Richard," he said pointing.

"Am I supposed to thank you"? Richard asked grabbing it.

"Just try not to die within the next twenty-four hours," Grayson told him. "Hurry," he said looking at Katherine. "There is another werewolf, and he wasn't the only vampire".

"This night just keeps getting better and better," Katherine said putting the automobile into drive and taking off.

* * *

Elena laughed, maybe it was the alcohol—oh, the alcohol definitely had something to do with her uncontrollable laughter, but her boyfriend had to do with more of it.

Matt couldn't sing, he couldn't dance—and yet here he was trying to do both, with her. Not that she minded, it was entertaining—to say the least.

It wasn't until the song changed, and the music slowed down that Elena was able to stop her giggling, to be able to take a long deep breathe again. She found her arms locked around Matt's neck, there were only three or four other couples dancing, but that didn't matter, not right now.

"I'm going to miss this" Elena said, looking up at Matt, half smiling.

"Miss what"?

"This—us".

"Am I missing something"? Matt asked. "Are we breaking up or dying"?

Elena laughed. "No, but I have a feeling my parents are going to ground me for half an eternity when we get back—all because we had to listen to Caroline".

Matt smiled. "Admit it, you're having fun".

"I won't".

"You are—I can tell, you're smiling".

"I smile at the mailman, that doesn't mean anything".

"I hope not—his like fifty-six or something".

Elena threw her head back, laughing. "When I get grounded—I'm blaming Caroline".

"When you're grounded, I'm blaming Caroline".

Matt kissed his girlfriend softly but felt her stiffen just slightly at the touch of his lips. "What? What's wrong"?

"Where is Caroline"? Elena asked scanning her eyes around the many teenagers at the party. "And Stefan"?

"I know you don't actually want me to answer that," Matt said.

Elena looked at him, confused—just slightly. "You're not serious"? She asked.

"No," Matt told her. "Probably just—what did they call it back in the day, necking"?

"You sound like my grandfather".

Matt rolled his eyes at her comment. "Where are you going"? He asked as she walked out of his embrace.

"To find them," Elena told him, over her shoulder.

Matt groaned, before catching up with his girlfriend. "I'm sure they're fine".

"I'm sure they are, too," Elena said. "It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here—but I'm not getting grounded just so they can sneak off and have sex".

"I don't think that's what their doing—but okay".

The two disappeared into the woods, unknowing about what was lurking in the shadows, as they made their way in search of their friends.

"Stefan"? Matt called.

"Caroline"?

"You know—maybe their on to something," Matt said tugging his girlfriend by the waist up against the nearest tree. "It's quiet—and we're alone—and by the grounding, you're already dreading we might as well take advantage of that".

Elena laughed, wrapping her arms tightly around her boyfriend's neck as he pressed his lips to hers—and they kissed, but they weren't the only couple making out in the woods.

Just seventy-five feet away was another couple, Caroline and Stefan were locking lips against a different tree. They were a little more eager than their friends and had much more practice.

"We should probably get back," Stefan said, breaking their kiss, after a couple of minutes too long of oxygen deprivation.

"You're right," Caroline said smiling. "People are probably worried".

"Elena".

"Matt".

But, neither moved, instead, the two smiled and began kissing again—until a sound caught their attention.

"What was that"? Caroline asked.

Stefan couldn't see much, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"Where are you going"? Caroline asked him, as he inches further away into the darkened woods.

"To see what that was".

"Do you watch any horror films"? Caroline asked him. "You don't follow a strange noise into the forest—you run in the opposite direction".

"It's Mystic Falls—nothing bad ever happens here".

No sooner than Stefan spoke he heard Caroline's scream—and he wasn't the only one. Elena and Matt stopped kissing not far away, turning in the direction of their friends.

"Was that—"?

Elena didn't hesitate. "Caroline".

* * *

Grayson hoped out of the off-road vehicle, with Liz and his sister—leaving Richard behind, who was almost fully healed but still complaining. The three approached the loud, booming party—loaded full of teenagers, and an overwhelming stench of alcohol.

"Ah, the good ole days" Katherine said as she looked at the kids doing handstands on a keg.

Grayson rolled his eyes. "You act like you were the life of the party".

"I was".

"You can't be the life of the party if you're in your third trimester," Grayson told her.

Liz ignored the two. "Alright," she said walking over shutting the music off. "Party's over".

The number of disappointed groans where overwhelming, and she wasn't too shocked when she got a few boos.

Too bad Liz didn't care, she had a few more pressing concerns.

"Everyone please make your way in that direction," she said pointing. "As fast as you can—if you have been drinking and can't drive let one of us know and we will arrange transportation home for you—which looks like it will be most of you".

Liz walked back over to Grayson who looked more concerned than he had all night. "Do you see something"? She asked.

He shook his head. "It's what I'm not seeing," he told her. "Elena—Stefan. I don't see Matt or Caroline either".

Liz felt like a horrible mom, it wasn't the first time she felt as though she failed, but it was the most pressing and concerning time. I'm the midst of all the kids, she didn't even try to find her daughter—she just assumed she was packed in with the crowd.

"Bonnie" Liz yelled, catching her daughter's friends attention.

Bonnie glanced up but quickly shot her head back down, in hopes that she could avoid the sheriff—it was a good idea, too bad it didn't work.

"Bonnie, come over here," Liz said. "You're not in trouble".

Bonnie sighed but made her way over to the group of adults she knew far too well.

"Where is the rest of your little gang"? Katherine asked folding her arms.

"Gang"? Bonnie asked. "This is Mystic Falls, not 8 Mile".

"Answer her," Grayson said. "We need to find them, immediately".

Bonnie glanced over her shoulder. "Elena and Matt were just dancing—they probably went to look for Stefan and Caroline".

"Where did they go"? Liz asked.

"Caroline and Stefan went that way," Bonnie said pointing "about thirty minutes ago—and you didn't hear that from me".

"We will go find them," Katherine said pulling Grayson along with her. "You make sure everyone gets out of here, safely".

"Safely"? Bonnie asked.

Liz froze but quickly said, "a bear was spotted, I'll walk with you".

Bonnie genuinely looked scared, but not as scared as she would be if she knew the truth.

Grayson and Katherine began making their way in the opposite direction of everyone else, flashlight in each of their hands—eyes as wide as they could be, taking each step slowly—to make sure they didn't miss anything or anyone.

That was until they heard a scream, a loud echo, a cry.

They didn't waste any time even sharing a glance at one another, they both took off in the direction of the scream, doing their best not to hit any tree or branches, or trip over anything below their feet, because even though each of them had a flashlight in hand neither took the time to use it as they ran.

"Oh, my god" Katherine said when they finally arrived.

The scene they saw before them was almost frightening, for many reasons.

Caroline lay pinned to the ground with a large beast on top of her, nothing but a stick separating her from its mouth. Elena and Matt looked to have arrived not a second more than Grayson and Katherine had, but Stefan was the one with blood pouring from his leg.

"Dad—".

"Get behind me" Grayson ordered his daughter taking her arm, and pulling her behind him.

Caroline's screams still rang through their ears as Grayson attempted to come up with something in his head, quickly—but his little sister beat him to it.

The sound of a shot firing rang loudly, and then another.

Grayson watched as the werewolf stumbled backward falling down against a tree.

"What happened"? Grayson asked, rushing to Stefan's side.

"He jumped in front of me—it bit him," Caroline said as Elena helped her blonde friend up, who was still shaking from the trauma.

"Can you walk"? Grayson asked looking down at the leg.

"I don't think so," Stefan said, wincing.

"Gray—this is not the time or the place for blood to be spilling" Katherine reminded her brother.

Grayson slid his jacket off and ripped the sleeve down the middle.

Katherine watched as her brother did what he could to dress the wound, before taking her light and shinning it around them—before landing on the wounded werewolf, that shockingly nobody was paying attention to. She looked at it, him—or her, whichever.

"Gray," she said walking up behind him and kneeling down next to him, whispering. "We have a problem".

"What's that"? He asked tying the sleeve tightly around Stefan's leg.

"That—that's not Damon," Katherine said getting her lips as close to his ear as she could.

"How is that a problem—if it was he would be pissed that you shot him".

Katherine ran her fingers through her hair. "That means he is still out there—that's the problem".

"That's not your only problem".

Katherine picked up her flashlight at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and when she looked she saw one, two, three-five unfamiliar faces surrounding them.

"I smell blood".

* * *

_**Author's Note: thank you to everyone who has been reading the story, and thank you for the reviews!**_

_**The next Chapter will be Damon heavy, just to make up for this chapter. **_

_**Until Next Time **_

**_Stay Safe! _**


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